The British High Commission in Bridgetown will no longer issue full validity passports with effect from 03 August 2009.
The UK Passport Service Centre for the Americas and Caribbean in Washington D.C. will be the new passport production centre for this region. All applications for full passports will need to be sent direct to:
The UK Passport Service Centre for the Americas and Caribbean
British Embassy
19 Observatory Circle, NW
Washington, DC 20008
where they will be processed and printed.
We remain committed to our Consular Business Target (CBT) of issuing 90% of all straightforward passports applications within 10 working days on receipt of the correct supporting documents and fee and excluding transit time.
The British High Commission in Bridgetown will continue to issue Emergency Passports for customers who need to travel urgently.
Customers will need to allow extra time for applications to be sent to and from the Production Centre.
This is part of a global initiative to streamline the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s passport operation; to make it more cost effective, secure and sustainable.
Background
In order to keep costs covered, the UK Government is committed to looking for opportunities to reduce administration, centralise excellence and deliver beneficial economies of scale. These are the parameters we have set ourselves as we introduce more sophisticated measures to safeguard personal identity, reduce opportunities for passport fraud and protect UK borders.
This change is part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Passport Rationalisation Project set up in May 2008 to deliver a more streamlined and efficient passport operation for British Nationals abroad, to achieve immediate financial benefits to the FCO, to UK taxpayers and to establish a sustainable operating platform for the future.
The FCO is committed to supporting the UK Government’s National Identity Scheme which aims to:
< Help secure our borders and tackle illegal immigration;
< Prevent identity fraud.
< Become a key defence in the fight against crime and terrorism.
< Enhance checks as part of safeguarding for the vulnerable.
< Improve customer service.
Notes for Editors:
• In order to keep costs covered, the UK Government is committed to looking for opportunities to reduce administration, centralise excellence and deliver beneficial economies of scale.
• Our aim is to reduce operational costs without compromising the security of our systems and processes or affecting our CBT (Consular Business Target) commitment to deliver 90% of passports within ten working days.
• Partnership arrangements between posts have existed for a number of years affecting 150,000 customers a year. Rationalisation is a logical next step.
• In Europe our Embassy in Madrid processes applications from Portugal and Paris is now processing applications from Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy and Malta. Where these arrangements already exist, they work well. Service delivery times have not been affected.
• The next three to four years will see significant changes to the way we issue passports overseas. At the heart of these changes there lies a strong desire to maintain good customer service and value for money (including to customers and UK Taxpayers), whilst meeting the need for greater document security. It's a difficult balancing act, but we believe that improving arrangements will put us in a stronger position to deliver further enhancements to our application process and systems, including the development of online services and a more secure emergency travel document for those who need them.
• Limiting the number of locations where we print passports reduces the risk of fraud and improves consistency of service. New passport hubs will be centres of excellence for examination, fraud detection and prevention, decision making and training as well as passport production. Teams will focus exclusively on passport work.
British High Commission
Bridgetown
Barbados
